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Abreva works, but if you don't want to spent $17, try an asprin. Just get a plain, uncoated asprin, wet it and hold against the sore until it dissolves. Do that every night, it cleared up mine in a few days, and a small bottle of plain asprin costs about $1.
Stress, sun, foods that are high in arginine (amino acid), illness can all bring out cold sores.
L-Lysine helps suppress them because it also suppresses arginine, which is like food for cold sores. It works as good as any prescription medicine for cold sores.
I used to get them so badly I have Rx cream for them. Same cream I used when I had Shingles. Acyclovir
Cold sores are cause by the Herpes virus. No, not the nasty kind, a different strain that only affects your lips. There is only one way you can get them; by transmission from another person via some form of close physical contact. Kissing is the most common way. However, it's difficult to pinpoint who may have given them to you because they can incubate in your body without causing symptoms for years. And once you have the virus in your body, it's there for life. Stress and reduced immune function, like having the flu, does tend to make them reveal themselves. I have cold sores myself. I developed this condition after kissing my girlfriend many years ago. Ironically, my girlfriend passed away in 2007 but I still get the cold sores
I took Acyclovir for years when I had them often. After that, I quit taking it because I take a lot of required meds and that one isn't really necessary. Acyclovir is more useful to take as a maintenance drug twice a day. It works great, and it prevents outbreaks completely. It's not worth it to take it all the time unless you have a lot of outbreaks, IMO. Now when I feel an outbreak coming on, I take Valtrex. Those are gigantic horse pills and you take a total of four pills, two at a time, morning and evening. That's it. It works better if you take it as soon as you feel the cold sore come on, before the outbreak is full blown.
You may have heard of that ointment called Abreva. I have tried that a few times, and I've found it to be a waste of money, and it's expensive, around $20. It doesn't do anything to shorten the length of the outbreak, despite all the advertising hoopla surrounding the product. Valtrex is much better and on my insurance, it's also a lot cheaper than the Abreva. Whatever you do, don't pick at the cold sores. It makes them heal more slowly and spreads the viral particles. And keep your lips moisturized with a killer lip balm to reduce discomfort. I recommend Blistex Medicated in the light brown tube.
Cold sores are cause by the Herpes virus. No, not the nasty kind, a different strain that only affects your lips. There is only one way you can get them; by transmission from another person via some form of close physical contact. Kissing is the most common way. However, it's difficult to pinpoint who may have given them to you because they can incubate in your body without causing symptoms for years. And once you have the virus in your body, it's there for life. Stress and reduced immune function, like having the flu, does tend to make them reveal themselves. I have cold sores myself. I developed this condition after kissing my girlfriend many years ago. Ironically, my girlfriend passed away in 2007 but I still get the cold sores
I took Acyclovir for years when I had them often. After that, I quit taking it because I take a lot of required meds and that one isn't really necessary. Acyclovir is more useful to take as a maintenance drug twice a day. It works great, and it prevents outbreaks completely. It's not worth it to take it all the time unless you have a lot of outbreaks, IMO. Now when I feel an outbreak coming on, I take Valtrex. Those are gigantic horse pills and you take a total of four pills, two at a time, morning and evening. That's it. It works better if you take it as soon as you feel the cold sore come on, before the outbreak is full blown.
You may have heard of that ointment called Abreva. I have tried that a few times, and I've found it to be a waste of money, and it's expensive, around $20. It doesn't do anything to shorten the length of the outbreak, despite all the advertising hoopla surrounding the product. Valtrex is much better and on my insurance, it's also a lot cheaper than the Abreva. Whatever you do, don't pick at the cold sores. It makes them heal more slowly and spreads the viral particles. And keep your lips moisturized with a killer lip balm to reduce discomfort. I recommend Blistex Medicated in the light brown tube.
Actually the cold sore virus can affect the genitals, transmitted via well...I'm sure you can guess, often gives a milder case than the strain more commonly associated with genital herpes.
Actually the cold sore virus can affect the genitals, transmitted via well...I'm sure you can guess, often gives a milder case than the strain more commonly associated with genital herpes.
And, from the same ... activity ... the genital type can cause oral cold sores. It appears to account for 10 to 15% of herpes labialis cases.
Fifty percent of new cases of genital herpes are type 1, usually associated with cold sores.
Actually the cold sore virus can affect the genitals, transmitted via well...I'm sure you can guess, often gives a milder case than the strain more commonly associated with genital herpes.
Cross transmission is uncommon, but it does happen. Genital herpes and cold sore herpes are two different strains: HSV I and II. HSV-I is the strain which causes cold sores. HSV-II causes genital herpes. You can be blood tested to determine for sure if you have one strain and/or the other as well. In any event, avoid close contact with loved ones during outbreaks OP, because the virus is quite contagious.
I'm pretty positive they recently figured out that hsv1 and hsv2 can be on any part of your body. So to say "I have hsv1" doesn't mean much. It makes more sense to say "I have herpes on x or y part of my body."
But most people aren't very educated on this topic in general. I don't understand why. If almost everyone carries the virus...
Cross transmission is uncommon, but it does happen. Genital herpes and cold sore herpes are two different strains: HSV I and II. HSV-I is the strain which causes cold sores. HSV-II causes genital herpes. You can be blood tested to determine for sure if you have one strain and/or the other as well. In any event, avoid close contact with loved ones during outbreaks OP, because the virus is quite contagious.
If 50 percent of new genital herpes cases are type 1, that makes the two equally common. And if 10 to 25 percent of cold sores are type 2, that is fairly common.
Folks need to be aware that the virus can be transmitted even in the absence of symptoms, too.
I'm pretty positive they recently figured out that hsv1 and hsv2 can be on any part of your body. So to say "I have hsv1" doesn't mean much. It makes more sense to say "I have herpes on x or y part of my body."
But most people aren't very educated on this topic in general. I don't understand why. If almost everyone carries the virus...
The reason to type the virus is that recurrences with type 1 tend to be less frequent. That can help patients know what to expect and guide treatment decisions.
Up to 90% of people have type 1. Many may have only one outbreak with it. The number infected with type 2 is smaller.
Last edited by suzy_q2010; 05-09-2015 at 11:22 PM..
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